Kabocha Japanese Brasserie

Goodbye Kabocha. I’m going to miss your wonderful food, your beautiful décor and seeing Chef Shin cooking in the kitchen. I’m hoping he doesn’t flee Chicago but opens another restaurant soon.

Chicago needs more places like this.
Service was the best I’ve experienced for a while.
Food was amazing. Flavors were clean and inventive. The food textures is what really stood out.
Looking forward to what comes next! Cheers!

Overall, I’m sad this place is closing. Not only are the regular dishes good (e.g. the scallop motoyaki) but the $ 10 ramen + beer deal was fantastic — especially this winter.
Will be interested to see how this place is reconcepted, but I’m sad to see it go.

RESTAURANT WEEK!
So went with another couple for the special menu. I love restaurant week, but also hate it… but this place actually had some great options.
Motoyaki was FREAKING amazing. Knock your socks off good.
Hamachi sashimi was just ok, not spectacular
Short Rib was good, not spectacular
Pork Tenderloin good, not spectacular and felt the ravioli thing didnt go well with it?
Salmon was good, not spectacular
Banana Bread Pudding good, not spectacular
Chocolate tarte thingy good, not spectacular… are you sensing a theme?
Also, we got the oxtail potstickers which were DELISH!
Overall, I thought it was really just OK.
For the price of restaurant week, I think it was worth it. The prices on the regular menu were a lot more so I definitely wouldnt come back and pay full price.
I would be kind of interested to eat off the regular menu because I felt the motoyaki and oxtail potstickers were GREAT. I dont know???
Cant place my finger on it, but overall it was just good.
Server was nice, but overall odd. Explained everything… almost too much? If that makes sense.
The décor is that of a nicer restaurant. Me likey.

I came on a Saturday night with a party of 4 for Restaurant Week. Kabocha had one of the better Restaurant Week menus (out of the ~10 I’ve tried in the past 3 years), actually offering a variety of their specialty courses & leaving me full after the meal. Plus, I loved the décor of the restaurant, and the service truly stood out as impeccable (the server recommended an amazing Rosé).
We ordered a variety of dishes, but my favorites were the Scallop & Crab Motoyaki (the absolute winner of the entire meal — SO SO delicious!), the Kabocha Squash Soup (I stole some of my friend’s & wish I could’ve ordered both!), and the Banana Bread Pudding. I also got to taste all the entrees (Short Rib, Salmon, and Steak) and they were all very good, though not as spectacular as the starters.
I will definitely come back to try the other items on the menu (or just order the motoyaki and soup again…)

I just realized I am actually a fan of Shin Thompson!
We dined at Kabocha for the RW, I like all the dishes we had.
The best part of the evening was this ravioli that comes with the pork tenderloin dish…
The pork tenderloin was really good… cooked to a really tender juicy but with a hint of char flavour. But, it only comes with one, and you can’t even split in half to share, squash soup ravioli.
Think of this ravioli like the chinese soup dumpling, but without the meat and the greasiness, just the plain thick squash soup wrapped in this nicely home made ravioli skins (which btw, has really nice chewy texture and thickness).
So one bite of the whole thing… i felt like the entire autumn just burst in my mouth!!!
Sadly, they don’t offer a dish just of this ravioli!!! I kept googling to find the recipe (hence, realize the fact that Shin Thompson is also a partner of one of my other favourites, Table, Donkey and Stick).
My friend also ordered the octopus and marrow dish… really nice balance of the flavour… not too rich because the octopus is on the leaner side, but the octopus added a hint of the charcoal grill flavor to the combination.
The scallop motoyaki appetizer was really good. I don’t like cream sauces, but I still inquired the server how it was made! I like the richness and the nutty flavour of the sauce. Somehow, even though there’s no liver/​foie gras component to it, it kinda tasted like a sauce made with a bit of liver pâté…
The RW menu is actually some of the items from their regular menu, but i wonder if they seasonally rotate some of the dishes, like the squash soup ravioli!!!

Ah… the tricky trap of restaurant week. Order off the prix fixe or, since you’re there already, try some more ever so enticing options from the regular menu.
I’ve been interested in the menu here for months, ever since it opened. It’s easy to see judging by the way the ingredients listed that this is French influenced American with a distinct Asian flare. I would not call this «Japanese» food w/​fusion at all. Which is good since Asian fusion is often disappointing.
Overall the meal was very pleasant. I just can’t help but feel like somehow everything we had juuust fell short of being perfect. We ended up getting drinks and an extra appetizer each from the regular menu, too.
Service: very courteous and chipper, but you can tell they felt understaffed that day or something. Everyone rushed everywhere and put down our food, said a quick enjoy, and rushed away. No one checked on us after we got each course or bothered to quickly remind us what the components were. Even when picking up our plates our waitress didn’t bother to ask if we enjoyed the dishes at all. Felt awkward.
–Wagyu beef tartare — Really really delicious. Not quite super minced which gave it good texture. It was quite fatty but overall balanced. Just really hated how the wonton chips were so crispy they felt stale.
–Kabocha soup — Super homey and awesome. Creamy, rich, comforting. Perfect winter appetizer. And there is a hit of acid in there to balance it out… but the acidity wasn’t worked in too well, so it felt too pointed and out of place in such a warm inviting soup.
–Hamachi sashimi — really light, delicious fish, and a refreshing sauce. Bf didn’t enjoy this in comparison to the tartare but I kinda wish I ordered this because the bite I had was nice.
–Scallop and crap motoyaki — oh god so rich. Scallop was perfectly tender. It’s a really small portion but honestly it was so rich that any more bites than that would be overwhelming. Scallop shell sits on a BED OF SALT DO NOT EAT IT.
–Crispy salmon — well-​cooked salmon and well-​seasoned dish. Just felt a little heavy though, with the rich celery root purée and the texture of the cous cous. They added those crispy noodles you get at the bottom of mongolian beef for texture, but they taste like literally nothing and don’t add much to the dish :/​Needed more horseradish-​lime.
–Braised short rib — Oh the mochi spaetzle was so delicious. Soft but with a crispy edge so good. In fact, all the components on that dish were delicious, and one bite of all the components would be delicious. but the beef was borderline dry and tough. Death mustard is just spicy yellow mustard, no worries.
–Banana bread pudding — Seriously awful. The bananas weren’t ripe or something, or they added a weird spice. I just did not enjoy it. I liked the fig ice cream and the crunchy granola component though.
–Thai chili torte — didn’t taste thai chili at all (if you wanna taste it, get the thai chili basil smash cocktail). The tartness of the cranberries was a great counterpoint to the rich chocolate though. This is the better RW dessert by far.
Was there mindblowing flavors? No. And execution wasn’t perfect, either. But for the most part it was a really pleasant meal. For «fusion,» most of the items on the menu seem to stay true to their concept. Definitely would recommend this spot, but not before some other places on restaurant row.

«The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry».
This is a curious one.
Imagine this: You patronize a restaurant that is marketed as the best steakhouse in the city. You arrive and order a 16 oz bone in ribeye, medium rare. When your food comes out, what you receive is a fantastic South Indian vegetarian chickpea curry.
It turns out this steakhouse has no steak. In fact they don’t even have any meat on premises.
The vegetarian curries and dosas they are delightfully executed, clearly by technically competent kitchen staff, but its just not what it’s supposed to be.
That’s the story for Kabocha.
The best way I can describe this is «not quite japanese food executed by a talented kitchen». The kitchen clearly has technical chops, but has either:
(A) no idea what Japanese food tastes like or how to prepare it, or
(B) no interest in serving Japanese food.
The most likely scenario is as follows:
A group of talented chefs gets together, having never eaten Japanese cuisine or even SEEN it, in real life or in photos. They are asked to read a novel about Japan, wherein several Japanese foods are *DESCRIBED* in the context of a feast within the plot line. Then they are asked to create Japanese food. Hilarity ensues.
Ramen — I knew I was in trouble when she asked me if I was ok with spicy food «because it has habanero in it». «Habanero?» I ask. «Yeah, because we’re out of Thai chilis today.» Dish received. Noodles are actually good, just not RAMEN noodles. They’re the kind of noodles you get when you order won ton noodles with the thin egg noodles in a Cantonese restaurant. Then the pork — It literally tastes like the inside of a Hong Kong BBQ pork bun. At first I thought this was weird, then I think the connection is that Japanese people often serve «Chashu» ramen. Cantonese BBQ pork == Chashu. Unfortunately, TOTALLY different seasonings… Last, the soup had a nice richness, but it was REALLY sweet. Its like it was seasoned using the sweet korean bean paste. Then I remembered that it was supposedly a MISO ramen… wrong kind of bean paste, kitchen!
Pickled vegetables — Way overseasoned. Also, japanese pickled vegetables are NOT prepared the same way western ones are. Please go to a japanese restaurant and see how they cut their tsukemono and note how it is seasoned.
Sweet potato croquette (コロッケ) — Love this idea, but poor execution on this. really thick skin and it was breaded in a cornmeal/​breadcrumb mixture. Use panko like normal japanese style croquettes, please! Also, a lot of separation between the skin and the interior, which you never see on japanese croquettes. This was the weakest execution piece of the evening.
Kabocha soup — actually, this was delicious. Get this. It’s not Japanese, and not even japanese inspired really, just a western soup utilizing a typically Japanese ingredient. And it was prepared expertly. The big win, I think, is that they weren’t trying to copy a Japanese dish and doing so poorly.
Grilled octopus and bone marrow — They made a point that it was marinated in plum wine before it was grilled. This is idiocy. A clear sign of a kitchen that is just throwing ingredients in to lend an air of asianness to the dish. Plum wine is pretty subtle, and even before tasting it you should guess that the CHAR from the grill would overpower any of that flavor. The octopus was excellent, however — Just a wasteful decision to marinate that way. Bone marrow was underdone. Croutons were poorly thought out delivery vehicle for the marrow. Turn this into an octopus only dish, throw out the asian flair, and you have a winner.
I really wanted to like this place.

I’m very disappointed with my Kabocha experience. My husband and I had been to Bonsoiree a number of times before it closed and really enjoy Table, Donkey, and Stick, having been there three times already. So we were very excited to try Kabocha.
We arrived on a Friday night and were seated promptly. The restaurant was pretty empty and it stayed that way. We each ordered the scallop motoyaki and then got a spicy tuna roll, the octopus and bone marrow, and split the hot pot. The motoyaki was delicious, but the portions were absolutely tiny. We stretched it to three bites each, and the cost was around $ 10 per portion. The spicy tuna roll was tiny, cost $ 14, and did not taste nearly as good as the $ 7 roll we get at our usual sushi spot. The bone marrow was about a half a bone and several tentacles for almost $ 20. The nearly $ 30 hot pot was so tiny that we had to order rice to eat with it (for another $ 5) so we wouldn’t leave the restaurant starving.
My husband and I have been to pretty much every «fancy» restaurant in the city and I’ve never seen such high prices for so little food (and we ordered 4 appetizers, one of which was deemed large enough to share, 1 entrée, and 1 side).
We actually went to Jewel Osco and bought snacks that night because we were so hungry after eating at Kabocha, and we had spent over $ 50 per person, not including drinks. Speaking of drinks, I ordered a club soda and lime and got a refill. No individual bottle of club soda or sparkling water was brought out to me, which in every restaurant means that the soda comes from the fountain and the refill is free. Not at Kabocha. When we received our bill, I saw that I was charged twice for the club soda due to the refill. I was so disgusted with this that I just said nothing and we left. This is an absolutely shady practice. I’m guessing this restaurant isn’t doing well and they take every chance they can to rip customers off. I will never set foot in Kabocha again.

I had never even heard of this restaurant until a few weeks ago and I don’t live in a bubble. With that being said, I think they need better marketing.
It reminds me of Japanese tapas… small plates, asian inspired and goodness all around. They do have entrée sizes but I would recommend doing as many small plates as you can.
Drinks: Solid. I had the Ginger Mint to keep in my line with my obsession of Moscow Mules. They have unfiltered Sake as well which we had a lot of. Note: do not drink if you have to work the next day. I was hurting bad!
Recommendations:
Scallop and Crab motoyaki: Creamy, hot, huge pieces of crab and scallop. Next time, I will not be sharing this. It’s that good
Oysters: fresh with hot sauce on top and a nice lil medley of greens on the bottom
Rabbit dumplings: Delicious and different from your traditional asian dumplings.
SO-​SO Stuff:
Tuna Hamachi Mosaic: I actually don’t see this on the menu anymore and I know why. It was very, very thin and not flavorful. It looked like a thin puzzle piece of tuna and it was hard to scrape anything up with your chop sticks.
Pork Belly: Eh. Sometimes when I eat pork belly, it just feels like I am telling myself it’s acceptable to eat a slab of fat. I’m indifferent on this dish.
Duck Confit Potstickers: I love duck and pot stickers but after having the rabbit dumplings, this dish was wasted on me. Too much orange glaze too.
As you can see, there was nothing terrible which is a GREAT sign. The vibe is chic but chill. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable.

I’m gonna start w the good— amazing food. Amazing. Wow’d. Their motoyaki is amazing, not enough bites, wished we had ordered 2! The duck potstickers were also amazing, lovvved that orange glaze wow. Everything was phenom. Perfect ambiance for a date night. Our server looked really familiar, maybe he used to work at Next? But he was awesome, very knowledgable, big hair!, friendly, but had way too many tables to handle poor guy which resulted in slow service…
So yeah… I wonder if me and Natalie M went on the same night, bc we experienced the same problem last sat… Our reservation (for 2) was for 845, got seated over an hour later. So yeah, rough start, especially when there was no seating avail at the bar… And I must add that a day before on opentable (where I made our reserv) all seatings for sat night were wide open. So maybe management hasn’t coordinated their system properly? I don’t know how all that stuff works. I also think they are terribly understaffed bc at one point the manager was clearing tables and serving food (or maybe it was just that particular sat night?!, yes notice how I’m trying to make excuses for them bc the food was that good)
All in all, the restaurant is clearly very very new and needs to get some staffing probs taken care of so I prolly won’t be back for a few months… but other than that, I def recommend trying this place out.

Incredible. Went here for a date night with a 7pm reservation on a Friday and was seated right away. Our server (name pronounced «yoo-​bee») was very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. The menu is divided into small, medium, and large items and reminds me of tapas. We ordered a crab & scallop dish, rabbit thai dumplings, duck potstickers, tuna hamachi mosaic, raw oysters, fried fish of the day, wild atlantic salmon, and fried peppers. Everything we ate made us briefly close our eyes and savor the flavor. My boyfriend ordered some Japanese beers. I had a mandarin mule (it came in a copper mug! yes!) and the «Ginger Mint». I wish the mule had crushed ice, but otherwise it was fantastic.
My tips to newbies:
1. Order lots of dishes and opt out of the large entrees so you can try as much as possible
2. Get the Rabbit Thai dumplings
3. Order a Ginger Mint (if you like those flavors)
I’ll be back!

Great spot. I love the open-​ness of the kitchen when you walk in. The restaurant is ultra sleek, but it still has a warm ambiance. I loved dining at the bar, great vibe.
The bartender was friendly and on point. The three of us ordered three different «fancy» cocktails. Which can probably be pretty annoying for a bartender trying to serve other people. All three drinks were good, but the cucumber cocktail I drank had just the write balance of flavors. super refreshing.
I really enjoy this style of japanese food, but unfortunately I don’t like sushi. yes, i know, something must be wrong with me. We started with the duck confit potsticker appetizer. A really nice bite… ok may be you don’t have to stuff the whole thing in your mouth, but make sure to get a spoonful of each garnish including what i think was a candied orange slice. The tuna & hamachi mosaic was absolutely stunning. I suggest ordering it just to Instagram the picture everywhere. Very fresh and simple in the best way possible. The octopus was yummy, because properly grilled octopus is always yummy to me. A dish worth ordering. I loved the pickled garlic; i’ve never seen it used like that. Also ordered the fried shishito peppers. Little bits of fried cauliflower were mixed in. I would suggest anyone order them as a «side dish». Overall a nice addition to the dining scene in Chicago.

Nice presentation and relaxed environment here; the shellfish aquarium was really neat, although pricey ($ 85) for what you get. I split this entrée, and had 2 small plates, and it was sufficient for 2 people.

In my opinion Kabocha is one of the best kept secrets in Chicago right now. My girl and I just headed over to Randolph area with no set destination and we certainly didn’t have a reservation. We drove by this place and decided to go in. I’m soooo glad we did! I found Kabocha to be a uniquely tasteful dining experience… the food, the atmosphere, the people… everything about this place is enjoyable.
We ordered…
* Assorted sushi — Unique. The Alaskan king crab was the joint!
* Duck confit potsticker — HIGHLY recommended
* Octopus — Not the best I’ve had but certainly a contender
* Scallop and crab Motoyaki — SERIOUSLY AMAZING. Very rich but so very tasty.
THANKS Kabocha!

I can see Kabocha remain successful and hope it does. «Japanese» + «Brasserie» don’t often go together so we weren’t sure what to expect, but Kabocha’s execution was very good.
I’m a whiskey type of gal and enjoyed the Scofflaw cocktail very much so. My husband had a porter that was from a Japanese brewery and he liked the coffee hints in the drink.
The sashimi moriawase seemed like a popular choice as almost every table seemed to have ordered that. We enjoyed that as well and the sashimi pieces were fresh and of good quality. The wagyu beef tartare was fantastic and the sweet soy sesame crackers that came with the beef tartare were a great Japanese touch to it. The fried whole fish tempura-​style is a must-​get. It was fried to perfection and the fish itself was soft. I’m still dreaming of it. I wasn’t as crazy over the sweet potato croquettes though my husband really enjoyed that.
This place definitely fits in well with the rest of the vibe of Fulton Market and West Loop dining scene. This is by no means a formal place but the demographics seemed like stylish people, men in blazers or suit, ladies in spring/​summer dresses.
If the Kabocha management is reading this, there is one thing I’d like to suggest for improvement. It would be really helpful if the food runners are trained to explain the dishes instead of just naming the dish off the menu when a dish is brought to the table. When the sashimi moriawase platter was brought to our table, the 5 different types of sashimi preparation were not explained to us. We weren’t sure if we should wait for our server to come over to explain to us before we started eating it as we definitely saw her explaining the dish to the other tables. We decided to dig in anyway but later our server came over and asked if the dish had been explained to us yet and then proceeded to do so. The same thing happened to the table next to us– they had already started eating their dish and then server came over to explain the dish. I understand that servers have to wait on other tables so they may not know the exact moment when the dishes are brought to our table. So if the food runners are trained in at least giving a brief description of the dish, I believe that will make the entire operation more smooth.
Overall, great service, wonderful place, and welcome to the area!

Kabocha is yet another big time restaurant in Chicago’s bustling West Loop. Bonsoiree was the first Michelin starred restaurant I ever dined at as well as my first foray into modern cuisine; having had such an amazing and memorable dinner at Bonsoiree I was extremely excited about Chef Shin Thompson’s new venue and had been closely following all the developments on Facebook over the past several months. I entered with lofty expectations and Kabocha did not disappoint.
Kabocha is a trendy venue with modern décor. We kicked off the evening with a round of cocktails; this is one of Kabocha’s many strengths. Chef Thompson himself had a big hand in designing the Asian influenced craft cocktails. I ordered the Sour Plum consisting of Shochu, plum wine and yuzu juice; it is also garnished with umeboshi (a small salty Japanese plum) that slowly changes the flavor profile of the drink — the end result is a wonderful balance of sweet, salty and sour. Boka’s Weston has been my favorite cocktail but with Ben Schiller departing Boka and possibly taking the Weston with him, this may well become my new favorite drink! Kobocha also has a thoughtful list of Japanese beer, sakes, wines and rare teas.
There is a lot to love about Kabocha’s menu. Modern but approachable Japanese fusion. The menu is divided into four sections; raw, small, medium and large (as well as three desserts). All but the small is appropriate for sharing. There is an emphasis on seafood (but certainly other options — mainly meats with a minimal number of vegetarian options). Bonsoiree’s signature dish (Motoyaki) is on the menu but overall this is very different than Bonsoiree (which was tasting menu only and tended to push the envelope with some organ meats and molecular gastronomy).
I had been intrigued by the Seafood Aquarium and we commenced our meal with this delight. A modern play on a seafood tower; an aquarium filled with a luxurious collection of seafood, decorated with edible coral (one piece beet based, the other squid ink), edible seaweed as well as some additional inedible décor to enhance the aquarium appearance. This dish is stunning in presentation and is truly amazing. At $ 85 it is pricey, but worth the splurge; there was approximately a pound of succulent Maine lobster, a raw scallop, six massive shrimp and three shrimp heads (for those wanting to consume something challenging), three king crab legs, six oysters on the half shell with house mignonette a garlic aioli and a sweeter dipping sauce. Enough that a party of three or four could share one order and if split by two (as was our case) this is a very hearty appetizer.
I also ordered one medium plate — the sweet soy pork crepinettes as I wanted some meat in between the aquarium and my entrée. While this dish was fine, it was the only item I tried that did not impress. Halfway through I started regretting that I had not opted for the famous Motoyaki instead. Nevertheless my entrée (large plate) quickly rejuvenated my excitement; the whole fried fish (which today was a snapper for the market price of $ 34). The skeleton is plated to add to the presentation and so one can dig into the fish cheeks with the fillets on either side. Perfectly cooked and seasoned with a nice sauce, this was an excellent dish and large portion. I had been wanting to try the frozen lychee soufflé dessert but actually ended up not having room, so that will have to wait for a return visit. My wife was equally pleased with her entrée; the Japanese BBQ steak cooked sous vide with cipollini onions, green garlic, maitake mushrooms, frites and «death mustard» (an extremely spicy mustard with a dab of honey to cut the heat); she did find the sauce a bit too sweet but loved the meat and accompaniments.
Service was friendly and attentive; while it was not quite flawless, for Kabocha being such a new venue I was impressed with our server’s command of the menu and ability to explain courses in detail when we had questions. Kabocha is not an inexpensive venue, if one orders the Seafood Aquarium as part of a multi-​course meal along with a couple rounds of cocktails expect to pay about $ 150 per/​person all inclusive, but if one steers clear of the most expensive items it is certainly possible to have a very pleasant dining experience here without breaking the bank. There is also a cool bar area if one wants to try some of the outstanding cocktails and sample dishes off the bar menu. Chef Thomson earned a coveted Michelin star at Bonsoiree and Kabocha is definitely a venue to keep tabs on; perhaps it debuted a bit too late to be starred this year but for 2014 it will be a serious contender. I plan to return this summer for the special Kaiseki Table experience. Congratulations to Chef Thompson on the opening of another spectacular restaurant!

I would not recommend Kabocha unless you really enjoy the experience of going to the latest see-​and-​be-​seen place. If you get a kick out of getting dressed up, seeing the stylish interior design, and rubbing elbows with well dressed and affluent people, then you’ll like Kabocha. For my buck (and it IS expensive) I’d rather have a better meal at a smaller and more intimate restaurant.
None of this is to say that the food was bad. It was quite good. But it just didn’t wow me, especially at the price point.
The service was, without a doubt, excellent and the bar and dining room both have a stylish, luxurious ambiance. But there was a weird soundtrack (jumping from thumping bass to new age spa music).
The emphasis is on seafood (although there are a few vegetarian dishes and some land creatures as well). There is an interesting selection of small dishes to share, traditional entrees, and small bites suitable for one person. Everything is fatty. Be prepared.
I tried bites of two appetizers — sweet potato croquettes and the scallop and crab motoyaki. Both were really rich and pretty oily. Good, not great.
We also shared the sashimi, which was just OK. It was honestly no different from whatever I’d get from the neighborhood sushi place for half the price, with the exception of one type of fillet which was smoked. Also good, not great.
For an entrée we had the hirame, which I liked. It was prepared in a really buttery broth.
My favorite thing was the octopus salad. The octopus was really tender and flavorful. Don’t worry, this was also super fatty, with the addition of a fried egg yolk on top.
We were, for obvious reasons, stuffed and skipped dessert.

I came. I saw, I ate. I loved!
Kabocha is the newest addition to the West Loop/​Fulton Market area. Brought to us by Chef Shin Thompson (Bonsoiree) and Ryan O’Donnell (Rustic House and Gemini Bistro), this place hit it out of the park the other night!
Don’t be fooled. While the address says Lake St, the entrance is actually on Morgan, just north of the new Morgan Street «El» Station. There is valet parking out front for $ 8 but you can usually find street parking in the area as well (although this is getting scarcer with every new restaurant opening)
The restaurant had only been open 10 days when we stopped in so I was anticipating the typical «new place woes». But there were none to be found. The kitchen pacing was perfect, the servers and bussers on their game and the food was stellar.
We sat at the bar while we waited for our party to arrive. The bartender was personable and the drink list is an interesting combination of Japanese and craft beers, traditional cocktails, a range of sake as well as some craft cocktails using the most interesting ingredients. I stuck with my standby of a martini that was perfectly poured and iced.
Once seated in the main dining room– we just started ordering a range of items. The menu is arranged by small (individual), and medium and large (shareable) sections. It was all great so I will just list a few of my favorites.
From the raw menu– the mosaic of raw tuna and hamachi was amazing! We should have ordered a couple of these. On the small list-​the scallop and crab motoyaki and lobster salad were a hit as well.
From the medium menu– the shabu shabu and the octopus salad were also delicious. And if that wasn’t enough food– we also had the whole fried fish off of the large menu which was so good we are still talking about it!
If there were any losers of the night they were the psychedelic salad and the fried peppers– it’s not that they were bad…they just were not the favorites of the evening!
All in all– a terrific evening out. The ambiance is contemporary, the energy level is high and I will definitely return.
Now as for the name? I asked. Kabocha is some kind of Japanese squash or so I was told. Now you know too!

If you were a fan of Bonsoiree like me, and possibly even ate at Shin’s Underground with a bit of a heavy heart like I did thinking it was your last motoyaki ever, Kabocha will be the best thing to happen to you all year.
The food was outstanding, and I really enjoyed the departure from the tasting menu format of Bonsoiree. Notable highlights included the motoyaki (of course), wagyu tartar w/​delicious, SPICY black garlic, shabu shabu (which was a smaller, shareable, appetizer-​sized portion than you’ll typically find in a japanese place, really cool), and the rabbit dumplings. Holy shit the rabbit dumplings. Hands down the best dumpling I’ve ever had, including the best dim sum places in NYC/​San Fran.
The only slight miss for me was dessert. My frozen lychee «suflee» was OK, but not nearly as good as the rest of the meal. My wife’s vanilla ice cream w/​sesame crisp was pretty damn good, though. Honestly, Chef Thompson is a japanese fusion kind of chef, so my expectations for dessert weren’t high to begin with. It was definitely good, just overshadowed by how amazing the rest of the meal was.
I can’t wait to go back… Chef Thompson and the team really hit it out of the park with this one.